On Being 17, Bright, and Unable to Read

The article is called “On Being 17, Bright, and Unable to Read” by David Raymond. An editorial article publication by Bedford/ St. Martin’s in March 2009. This author tells his dyslexia experience how he felt through high school and tells people take easy to people who had dyslexia. One time, a substitute picked Raymond to read aloud from the textbook front of the classmate, but he told that he don’t want to read the book. The teacher getting mad because she think that he was acting smart so teacher want to see him after the class. He can’t read at a fourth- grade level. He cannot read homework and new paper at all. His family start suspect that he have a problem. He wishes he was dead because he didn’t understand how to read. He can’t throw a ball, couldn’t learn how to swim and also he cannot learn how to ride the bike. One time teachers try to encouraging spelling “cat”.

He felt embarrassing because he doesn’t know how to spell “cat so his classmate make fun of him. When it his birthday, he did blew the candle and he wish that he want to have friends instead to learn how to read. However his life start to get felt better because teachers are helping him, he did won a letter on cross-country team also he have some friends. His embarrassed moment when he have to go to special education class but his friend ask where he go, he reply “to Mars”. In the end, He felt courage because he knew that the well-known people who had same problem like him and still can made it like Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci.

I am strongly felt sorry for Raymond but in the some way, I know he will be success. When I read this article and I knew he will be successful because when he was worry about what he will do after college and will be able to get hire while he can’t able to read but he said ” The only thing that give me any courage is the fact that I‘ve learned about well-known people who couldn’t read or had other problems and still made it. Like Albert Einstein, who didn’t talk until he was 4 and flunked math. Like Leonardo da Vinci, who everyone seems to think had dyslexia” (200). From that Raymond statement, I know he won’t give up and to find job and I know he will do well in his future. The beginning tone of the article is cynical because when he said, “I wanted to die. I’d come home from school screaming, I’m dumb. I’m dumb – I wish I were dead” (198). He was in young age; he couldn’t read so he knew that he had dyslexia. His classmate makes fun of him.

His family suspects that Raymond is something wrong in the school. However he start get better when his family and teacher do care about him. He said “Life began to change a little for me then because I began to felt better about myself” (199). He notice that teacher do care about him so they did help him. What kinds job that Raymond will go even though he can’t read well? The writer did explain clearly because he did explain strongly thesis about his experience by dyslexia through high school. Raymond wants the reader to understand and take easy to kid who had dyslexia. I did learn from the article that I do understand what dyslexia mean and fi people do care about people who had the dyslexia and they will change life to get better.

Works Cited
Raymond, David. “On Being 17, Bright, and Unable to Read.” Models for Writers. Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012. 197-200. Print.